Knowledgeable Voters?

As an American, a voter, and an economist, I have been trying to figure out why so many people now seem to think Democrats are so terrible and Republicans offer so much hope.

 I understand that there are people who always vote for Democrats and people who always vote for Republicans. I also know that neither group is large enough to win elections on its own, which is why elections always hinge on getting the majority of what are called independent or unaligned voters on your side.

 The question is: who are these people? After watching the torrent of ads in this election, I think I have the answer. Of course, the answer should be obvious to anyone who is exposed to even one evening's worth of televised pleas and attacks.

 Given the fact that advertising is created to reach a specific, identifiable market, it is perfectly clear that the voters being targeted in this election are people who have absolutely no clue as to what is going on in the world. None.

 As such, instead of voting for Republicans or Democrats, because they understand and like how either Republicans or Democrats govern, the targeted audience's knowledge of the world is limited to what it sees in political ads. In other words, people who say they are independents are not independent or undecided because they are waiting to see which candidate is the most knowledgeable or has the best or most rational solution to real problems, they are undecided or independent because they are totally ignorant of what has happened, who caused the problems, and how problems can be addressed.

 Therefore, these people make decisions as to who to love and who to fear based solely on political advertising.

 And, as has been the case since Reagan, Republicans are much better than Democrats at appealing to voters with absolutely no knowledge of the real world.

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